4. “Don’t divide the skin while it’s still on the bear”

5. “Did an elephant stomp on your ear”?

Polish: Słoń nastąpił ci na ucho?English: Having no ear for music

6. “Not my circus, not my monkeys”

Polish: Nie mój cyrk, nie moje małpyEnglish: Not my problem

Thanks to the Internet this Polish phrase is probably the most famous uniquely famous Polish idiom in the world, leading one member of staff to speculate, “does anyone Polish actually say this? Really?”

7. “They have flies up their nose”

Polish: Mieć muchy w nosieEnglish: They’re angry

8. “Drill a hole in your belly”

Polish: Wiercić komuś dziurę w brzuchuEnglish: Pestering

To be fair this is normally understood as someone else drilling the hole into your belly, but we thought it made the illustration funnier to do it this way round.

9. “Throwing peas onto a wall”

Polish: Rzucać grochem o ścianęEnglish: Fall on deaf ears

10. “Don’t call the wolf from the forest”

Polish: Nie wywołuj wilka z lasuEnglish: Don’t tempt fate

11. “Stick you in a bottle”

Polish: Nabić kogoś w butelkęEnglish: Pull your leg

12. “Stuff yourself with hay”

Translation: Wypchać się sianemEnglish: Get lost! Go away! Shut up!

13. “It’s a roll with butter”

Polish: Bułka z masłemEnglish: Easy / it’s a piece of cake

14: “I was made into a horse”

Polish: Zrobili mnie w koniaMeaning: I was taken for a ride

And finally – we’ve saved our favourite for last: “Do you have a snake in your pocket?”

Polish: Mieć węża w kieszeniEnglish: “You’re being tight-fisted”

Be especially careful using this phrase in English: the potential for snakes in pockets being confused with something much ruder is immense.

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